Hi all, I know how it feels when you order a product from the internet and get hit with Duty charges and VAT. Emotions range from frustration to down right peeved when a bill for Customs comes in the mail.

Most, if not all, company policies hold the customer responsible for Customs/Duty charges. We get the occasional irate email from an upset person who was dinged with a little value added bill.

A potentially harmful chemical used to make Teflon, micrwave popcorn bags, waterproof clothing and countless other products will be phased out of production by 2010..

The chemical, PFOA (AKA C8) is a man-made chemical that resides and persists in the environment and our bodies. It has somehow managed to get into the bodies of practically everyone on earth. Startling, isn't it? Read on...

When PFOA builds up in the body, it has known to cause cancer, liver damage, growth defects, immune system deficiencies, and death in animals.

U2 frontman, Bono, in a new push to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa, has announced partnership deals with several multi-national companies to sell "Red" products, with a percentage of proceeds going towards reversing the epidemic in Africa.

Companies from American Express, Converse, Gap and Armani are featuring red-themed products with proceeds donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

A new study involving female rats show that caffeine may elevate their sexual desire.

Female rats that got their first shot of caffeine before mating were quicker than uncaffeinated females to scurry back to a male rat after sex.

The caffeinated females weren't just looking for company. "It looks as if they wanted to have sex again," says researcher Fay Guarraci, PhD.

The study, titled "Coffee, Tea, and Me," is due to appear in an upcoming issue of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior.

Dr. David Katz, obesity researcher and director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, has revealed an interesting way to lose weight. Forget counting carbs, calories or BMI (body mass index).

In his new book, The Flavor Point Diet, Dr. Katz reveals that the trick to losing weight is limiting your flavours. We stop eating when the brain's appetite sensors point to "full." Eating lots of flavours promotes overeating because different sensors must register full for out appetite to subside, Katz says.

Ever tried to tickle yourself and wonder why it doesn't work? Scientists at the Department of Neurosciences at Queen's University in Canada, with obviousy little else to do, have found out why.

The short answer: You know what you're up to, and the body adjusts and anticipates the tickle, thus wrecking any tickle effect.

"It's well known that you can't tickle yourself," researcher J. Randall Flanagan, PhD, at Queens Unversity says in a news release.

This often asked question has been around since cellphones first got into our hands.

A new report examines the issue and reassures us that the answer is no. This report should come as a reassurance to the hundreds of millions of cell phone users in the world, however, the studies have followed subjects for no more than a decade, with questions arising on its safety over the long-term.

And it is not yet clear if the phones raise the risk of other brain and central nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis.

Why is January blood donor month? Traditionally, blood is in short supply during the winter months due to holidays, travel schedules, inclement weather and illness. January, in particular, is a difficult month for blood centers to collect blood donations.

If you are at least 17 years of age, at least 110 pounds and meet other donor requirements, you may be eligible to donate blood.

January is a tough month for giving after the great expense of energy during the holidays.

Welcome to the Astronutrition Blog - our online diary that will be filled with comments and thoughts on nutrition and wellness, company and industry news, success stories and tall tales (we have the leprechaun to prove it!).

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